


Aberrations

by Megs1001



Category: Station 19 (TV)
Genre: Angst and Feels, F/M, I Tried, I'm Bad At Tagging
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:07:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24121069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megs1001/pseuds/Megs1001
Summary: A departure from what is normal...
Relationships: Andy Herrera/Robert Sullivan, Victoria Hughes/Lucas Ripley
Comments: 43
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

Rolling her eyes, Victoria Hughes huffed in annoyance at the call display on her phone before shoving it back in her pocket, only to feel it vibrate again moments later.

"Dammit," she cursed, reaching to silence the call, but not without drawing the notice of her teammate.

"Who are you dodging? That's like what, the fourth and fifth call today. Somebody reallyy wants to talk to you and you obviously realllyyy don't want to talk to them. Is it Jackass, I mean Jackson? 'Cause if so, can I just say I'm glad? Dude's a douche," Jack Gibson asked, looking up from his inventory list.

Vic glared at him. "No! For your information, it's not Jackson. Jackson is... Jackson is whatever."

"Ahem-douchebag-cough-cough," Jack fake coughed, grinning at her discomfort.

Shoving at him, Vic said, "Can you just stop? It's not him. It's Jennifer; it's Ripley's sister and I'm not dodging her." 

She sighed, glacing away. "Well maybe I am a little. I'm just not in the mood to talk to her. It's been..." Vic paused, frowning, "it happened a year ago last week and it's been almost as long since we've talked. I don't really know what to say."

"Vic, you should talk to her. You both lost someone very important. Ripley was her brother," Travis spoke up from behind her, having overheard what she was saying. "Maybe she just wants to check on you," he said.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry, I gotta go," Jack mouthed silently at him over Vic's shoulder, before darting away, uncomfortable with the sudden emotional direction the conversation had taken.

Vic focused on the supplies she was restocking. "Why now? After a year. What are we supposed to talk about? How the only person, the only thing we had in common died? Are we supposed to get together and pretend to be a family? Maybe go put flowers on his grave and hold hands and act like everything's okay?" She scoffed, abruptly turning to face him. 

"Cause it's really not. I mean, what if she does still blame me? I've finally gotten to a place where I've made peace with myself, with what happened..." Vic paused to collect herself, "but then something will... sometimes he's just... right there. I'll catch myself thinking I can't wait to tell him about a call or I see someone wearing a sweater that'd go great with his eyes and then, then in that moment, everything is dark again." She ducked her head, swiping at her eyes.

Travis rubbed her shoulder sympathetically. "Aw sweetie, you know I understand those feelings. Sometimes I'll be walking in a crowd and catch a whiff of someone wearing Michael's cologne and I catch myself looking around for him," he said, smiling wistfully, before continuing, "And then I realize and it still takes my breath away for a second."

"C'mon, come help me finish rolling these hoses, but promise me you'll call Jen later, okay?" he asked, "Maybe?"

"I'll think about it," Vic said firmly, ignoring the phone buzzing again in her back pocket, signalling an incoming text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'll be upfront that this is a bit of work in progress and how much progress remains to be seen. I know where I want to go with it but haven't quite decided how to get there and while I'm big on ideas, I'm lousy on the follow through, lol.


	2. Chapter 2

No sooner had they finished their chores, slamming the last compartment shut on the truck, when the alarm klaxon sounded, calling the engine and aid car to assist with a multi-vehicle traffic accident a few blocks away.

Arriving on scene, they found the medics from 23 already loading a patient into their rig. "Will wonders never cease?" Travis muttered, earning him an elbow from Vic and both of them a dirty look from Captain Bishop.

"We're gonna run this one in, our guys are still working on extracting the last driver over there, everyone else looks like just some minor cuts and abrasions," the other team's lieutenant quickly brought them up to speed.

"If some of your crew can help with traffic control, once they get the driver out, your aid car can scoop and run. Looks pretty bad. Witnesses said they ran the light, probably on a damn cell phone."

"Alright, you heard him. Gibson, Montgomery, be ready with the aid car. Hughes, you and I will see if the saw crew needs any help, the rest of you've got crowds and traffic.

Vic followed Maya, jogging over to where the other crew struggled furiously to pry the driver from the remains of the crumpled vehicle. Over the scream of the electric saw, Vic listened as they briefed Maya on their progress. One of the firefighters who had managed to work his upper body through the missing rear window tossed her a purse & yelled to her to check for ID. She rifled through the wallet, drawing out an Oregon state driver's license.

"Oh shit," Vic cursed, stumbling back, the purse strap slipping through her fingers. "No, no, no... this cannot be happening!"

"Hughes? Hughes! Vic, what's going on?" Maya yelled, grabbing her by the sleeve. When Vic didn't answer, she pried the wallet away, flipping it open to reveal the license on one side and a worn photograph tucked into opposite slot. Maya gaped as her gaze fell on the candid, carefree shot of Vic, Lucas & Jennifer squished together a diner booth, smiling widely at each other. "Jennifer... ohh shit, Vic, I'm so sorry..."

Vic sniffled, "It's all my fault... again. She kept calling and calling and I... I wouldn't pick up the phone. She ran the light because she was trying to call me and now this."

Maya gripped her by the shoulders. "Listen to me, this is not your fault. Go get some water, get yourself together and you can ride along with her to the hospital, now go," she commanded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anddd that's where I'm gonna leave you for now. Short but more soon.
> 
> Texting while driving is bad, don't do it. But maybe now Vic will learn to answer her damn phone. Maybe. And yes, I'm still a little salty at Jen for being such a bitch in the episode I don't watch.


	3. Chapter 3

The days that followed were a blurry, uneasy mix of nervous suspense and forced optimism, a vigil full of guarded platitudes and answerless questions and a revolving door of doctors and caregivers, all soundtracked by the rhythmic whisper of machinery and beeping of monitors. 

Vic was nearly at her wit's end, certain that her ass and the chair she'd been sitting in (and yes, frequentlt slending nights sleeping in) would forever bear permanent imprints of each other. If one more person, just one more, cautioned her to "wait and see", she was pretty sure she might scream. Vic was *not* a wait and see kind of person.

Still unaccustomed to such sedentary behavior and unable to stand the room's four walls any longer, Vic decided to walk down to the coffee cart outside and stretch her legs a little. Her coworkers and friends had been awesome about checking on her and keeping her supplied with food, even occasionally taking over the bedside watch so she could run home to shower, but fresh coffee sounded absolutely magical to her tired soul at the moment.

As Vic moved towards the door, a petite, dark-haired doctor breezed through the portal, wide-eyed intern following in her wake.

"Dr. Shepherd, hello!" Vic greeted her. "Have you gotten Jen's test results back yet? Why hasn't she woken up?" She questioned.

"Her latest scans have come back, yes," Amelia Shepherd paused as she check her patient, "and they do some some minor improvement. Not as much as I'd like, but there is progress." She gave Vic a brief rundown, finishing up with, "So right now, we'll just have to wai..."

"Stop!" Vic interjected, holding up one hand and miming a pearl clutch with the other. "For the love of all that's holy, please do NOT tell me, 'we'll wait and see'. I just can't, just please don't, okay?"

Amelia chuckled and said sympathetically, "I know, it gets frustrating, the waiting and the seeing. You guys must be pretty close. You've been here almost constantly."

Vic shook her head. "She's my sister... well sort of, but not really."

"I know how that goes, I've got a couple of those myself," Amelia replied. "I believe you've met both Dr. Grey and Dr. Pierce."

Vic nodded, averting her eyes slightly at the mention of Maggie's name, still not entirely comfortable around Lucas' doctor and Jackson's ex.

"We're family and we haven't spoken in nearly a year," Vic said sadly, looking down at Jen.

Amelia nodded. "Oh yeah, I've definitely got a couple of those too. You know," she checked her watch, "I've got a little time before my next consult, if you want to get out of this room for a few, maybe we can go downstairs and grab a coffee or a tea or something. Get a little fresh air. Or maybe you'd prefer to do the whole shrink thing," she said with a shrug. 

Getting the desired chuckle from Vic, she continued, "I know Dr. Lewis has been working with you guys recently. You might schedule a session with her or one of her colleagues. Talking to someone, it could help."

"I appreciate the advice and the offer. Really, I do," Vic pursed her lips, fighting back tears. "I was actually just about to go for some coffee when you came in, so that sounds amazing. And I will... I'll think about Dr. Lewis, I really will." She said with a tight, but genuine smile. 

"Well okay then," Amelia said, dumping her charts into her intern's hands and making a shooing motion. Turning back to Vic, she smiled and said, "Let's go get that coffee."


	4. Chapter 4

Vic must have dozed off, but awoke to the soft snick of the hospital room door opening.

Blinking sleepily, trying to clear the fog of half-remembered dreams, she yawned and stretched, glancing at her watch, then froze. There in the doorway, silhouetted by the hallway lights, stood Lucas Ripley.

Vic couldn't breathe, couldn't think, her lungs refused to cooperate, like all of the oxygen had been sucked from the room. She gaped, her blood roaring in her ears, feeling the entire world shift, spinning dizzily, then seeming to constrict with pinpoint focus on his handsome face. Lucas. 

Vic snapped her eyes shut, attempting to count to five but struggling to remember what comes after two. She opened them, yup, still there, still staring back at her.

She leapt up, toppling the chair behind her and gasping his name, flew across the room, hurtling herself into his arms. Vic sobbed brokenly, burrowing her face against his muscled chest. She clung desperately, breathing him in, her tears soaking his shirt, feeling his strong hands gently stroke her back, letting his whispered words of comfort wash over her. In that glorious moment, despite Jennifer's condition, despite their surroundings, everything was right again.

He knew the exact moment reality slammed into her, felt the force of it as Vic stiffened in his arms then struggled to break free of his embrace, but he was still caught offguard, wholly unprepared for the sudden violence of her reaction. Vic shoved at his chest, then drew back and swung, the sharp crack of her open hand solidly impacting his cheek echoed through the small room. 

He rubbed his jaw ruefully. "I guess that means Jen told you about me, eh? That was quite a wallop. 'Spose I should be thankful it wasn't a left hook. You must be Victoria."

Eyes narrowed, chest heaving, Vic hissed, "And who... are you? Just who... the fuck... are you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So tbh, I've been debating maybe stopping this. Haven't decided but kinda considering.


	5. Chapter 5

"So? Explain yourself. Who the hell are you?" Vic demanded with more bravado then she felt.

Unruffled by her outburst, he quirked an eyebrow at her and said, "Mmm... hot."

Vic's jaw dropped. "Excuse me??"

"Oh, the coffee, I meant," he said sipping innocently from a paper cup. "Hot."

Not buying his response, she glowered back at him. "Well? You've obviously got me at a disadvantage here. You know me and I... I apparently don't know anything that I thought I knew so I repeat... who the hell are you?" Vic hated the way her voice rose and cracked as she fought the panic bubbling up inside her. 

She rubbed her chest, willing away the sensation and attempting to compose herself while still trying to wrap her brain around how this total stranger could be standing in front of her with such a familiar face. 

He stared back, brow furrowed, wearing a look of adorable confusion Vic knew so well. "So, wait, you didn't talk to Jennifer? I know she called..." he trailed off uncertainly.

Vic ran a hand over her hair, shaking her head. "No, she tried to call, but I uh, I must have missed it so I guess she was on her way to see me when this happened," she gestured to Jennifer lying in the bed.

Sighing, she said, "You must have been what she needed to talk to me about so if you could so kindly explain how you have Lucas Ripley's face. Go on, start explaining."

"Marcus, Marcus Ripley," he said, holding out his hand. "Lucas was my twin brother, older by three and a half minutes and only half as good looking. But I guess you could say I'm a bit of the black sheep of the family."

Ignoring his outstretched hand, Vic couldn't help the sharp bark of humorless laughter that escaped her. "Black sheep, huh? So much so that no one ever thought to mention you to me before? That you didn't even show up to his funeral?" She asked, conveniently forgetting she'd almost skipped it herself.

"Just what did you do anyway? Kill someone?" Vic's eyes widened. "Oh God, you did didn't you?"

Marcus scowled. "What makes you think it was my fault? It had to be me, right? Saint Lucas would've never done anything wrong. Always the bloody boy scout," he ground out, waving her off when Vic would've protested. 

Shoving a hand through his wild mop of hair, he crossed to Jen's bedside. He remained silent, seemingly lost in thought as he stared down at her, gently tracing one callused finger over the nightmarish rainbow of bruises marring her face. Vic took the opportunity to study him. 

At first glance, he looked so much like Lucas that it stole her breath away but on closer inspection, the differences stood out starkly to Victoria who had spent countless hours memorizing Lucas' every feature. Marcus' sun-bleached hair was much longer, curling over top his ears and falling haphazardly across his forehead. Vic judged him to be about 6 months past due for a haircut. His full beard, a contrast to Lucas' closely cropped scruff, didn't hide the deeply etched lines on his face. He seemed older, tireder, although justifiably so, Vic conceded, given the current situation and whatever must've occurred in the past to cause such a schism between the brothers. 

There was an intensity to him, a cocky boldness... not necessarily a bad thing, Vic noted, just different, harder somehow. Away from the job, Lucas had been warm, mellow, sometimes silly, always loving. Marcus reminded her a bit of Lucas in full chief mode, fierce and demanding.

What jumped out at Vic, other than the accent that tinged his speech... yet another question right there, were his eyes. While Lucas' eyes, the ones that she saw every night in her dreams, were bright, clear blue, Marcus' eyes had the slightest greenish tint.

"Turquoise," she mumbled.

"What?"

"Your eyes, they're not quite the same shade as Lucas," she noted.

"You're good," he complimented her. "Not a lot of people ever noticed that. We used to try the old twin switch when we were kids but the eyes were one of the things that gave us away... that or my mouth. Luke was always better at keeping his cool, steering the conversation his way while I would get impatient and say something to blow our cover."

Vic had to smile at the mental image of a matching set of hellion teenagers trying to pull a fast one on their parents or teachers but with it came the familiar bittersweet ache that she and Lucas would never have the opportunity to raise some troublemakers of their own.

"I'm not surprised you know, that they didn't mention me. Still stings a bit, but what can you do?" Marcus said, fiddling with Jennifer's bed covers, straightening an imaginary wrinkle.

"Jen and I, we've just recently been working on reconnecting, trying to repair the past. She was just a kid and got caught in the fallout between Luke and me. She sided with him, but I guess I didn't really give her much choice at the time, leaving the way I did," he said wearily. "Luke was always her favorite anyhow."

"What happened with you two?" Vic asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Marcus turned to face her, all traces of softness vanishing. As she fought the urge to squirm under his piercing stare, Vic thought at first he wasn't going to answer. 

"I'll spare you the sordid details for now, but suffice to say it was a perfect storm of hard-headed jackasses with more testosterone than sense, who had different dreams and the same unwillingness to compromise... and of course, as there so often is... there was a woman involved," he scoffed.

"We had words. After our dad got sick, Lucas thought those three and a half minutes made him the man of the house. He forbid me to go, so of course, I packed my shit and left. Been out of the country for most of the last twenty years. Army first, then Australia."

"That explains the accent then," Vic interjected.

Marcus continued, "I always thought Luke and I would get over our own stubborn asses, but I guess we each got tired of waiting for the other to make the first move. I didn't know he was so sick, it was all so sudden and I had gone off the grid for a bit, so I didn't even find out, I didn't even know until after the funeral. Jennifer reached out, told me to get my head out of my ass and come home. Pushed until she made sure I got my own heart checked."

Vic looked up sharply, but before she could ask, he waved her off. "I'm fine, my icy, black heart is too cold to fail," he said, causing her to roll her eyes.

"I wanted to come meet you, try to get to know the man my brother became, but Jenny was worried about you, about how you'd react. She made me promise to let her speak to you first. To explain and soften the shock. When she couldn't reach you, I wanted to just fly up but she was determined to prepare you first." 

Marcus shook his head. "I've read the police report, Victoria and I've seen her phone. You didn't miss a call. You've been dodging her for over a week and I know she was texting you when she crashed. You didn't answer the phone when my brother needed you either. I lost him without ever getting to repair our relationship. I can't let the same thing happen here. I will not. She's my sister, not yours. I'll take things from here. I'll make sure you're notified if anything changes, but you should go now."

Vic started to speak up, to protest his cold assessment, but Marcus had already turned his back, dismissing her. She debated arguing but quickly left, unwilling to let him see her tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *waves* Hi, remember me? I told you I'd get off track. Definitely not my favorite chapter, hopefully it'll help move us towards better things.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is gonna be another long ass chapter, so you might want to get some snacks first.

Frustrated, confused and more than a little indignant, Vic wanted answers. Unable to get them from anyone directly involved, she focused on another source. Only one other person came to mind who might be able to shed some light on the situation.

Bouncing impatiently on the balls of her feet, Vic pounded on the door again and again. "C'mon, c'mon, answer the damn door," she muttered, slamming her fist against the barrier one more time. The nearby curtains fluttered then the door wrenched open. 

"Geez, Vic, what the hell's the matter with you?" A sleepy-eyed Andy Herrera blinked grumpily at her, while wrapping her sweater tighter around herself.

"I need to talk to your... where's Sullivan? Is he here? Just let me talk to him, okay? Please?" Vic asked, sounding agitated.

Andy looked away, rubbing her arms. "I'd let you, but he's... he's not here right now." She ducked her head and shrugged. "We had a disagreement. He didn't come home earlier. I don't really know where he's at. Why, what's going on?"

Vic squinted skyward, unsure how to best answer. "I just, I really wanted to ask him something about... about Ripley," she said at last, "Could you please have him call me when he gets home?"

"Sure, yeah, are you okay? Did something happen with Ripley's sister?"

Vic shook her head. "No, uh, and funny you. should mention siblings, seems Ripley had more than one running around out there," she said with a twist of her lips, then turned to go, leaving a puzzled Andy gaping after her.

Frustrated and weary all the way to her soul, Vic felt completely overwhelmed and close to spiraling. Unsure what to do next, but still needing to talk to someone, she headed for the one person she could always pour her heart out to.

Arriving as sun was starting to set, Vic shifted the car into park and paused to suck in a few deep, ragged breaths, trying to center herself. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Wiping her eyes, she exited the vehicle. While she wouldn't gain any answers from Lucas, maybe, just maybe she could find some respite from her inner turmoil.

As Vic approached Lucas' stone, she saw she wasn't his only visitor. Robert Sullivan sat slumped on the soft grass, head down, arms folded across his knees. A half empty six pack rested within easy reach. Vic hesitated, reluctant to disturb him.

"Hughes, join us," he said, not looking up.

Still feeling like she was intruding, Vic paused, then sank down beside him.

"Want a beer?" He asked, holding one out.

Vic accepted the bottle and they sat sipping in companionable silence for several minutes.

"Sometimes, when things get a little out of control, when I'm feeling a little lost and I really need someone to listen, to help me gain a little perspective, peace even, I come here to share a beer with my best friend," he explained, staring off into his memories.

Vic smiled wistfully. "Guess we both kinda had the same idea. I miss him so, so much. Sometimes I just really need to talk to him and sometimes, sometimes if I listen hard enough, I can almost hear him talk back."

Sullivan nodded, agreeing. He reached for another beer, but remained silent.

"Why didn't anyone ever tell me? Why didn't Lucas ever mention his brother?" Vic finally asked, breaking the quiet.

"Brother!" Sullivan exclaimed, looking up sharply. "How did you... did Jen... he's here?!?"

"So you do know about Marcus?" she asked, sounding more than a little accusatory.

Sullivan sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "This might call for something a little stronger than beer. I actually knew Marcus before I knew Lucas. He's the reason why I came to Seattle and met Luke."

"But why..." Vic interrupted but fell silent when Sullivan spoke again.

"You know I was in the Army, right? Well one night, we were on patrol when things went to shit in a hurry. We were pinned down, taking fire, most of our squad was injured in the original explosion or the firefight, a few killed. This sergeant I'd got to know pretty well, a real charismatic guy, a good leader, he'd taken a pretty bad hit protecting one of the younger guys. He was losing a lot of blood... a lot of blood and I was trying to get him to hang on long enough for help to arrive. Daybreak was close, but not close enough," he said with a shake of his head.

"Over the months I'd known him, he was always telling us all kinds of wild stories about him and his twin brother growing up, how close they were, their silly adventures, trips to their uncle's place in Australia and all the hell the raised. Always sounded so great, especially to an only child and it helped pass the time." 

Sullivan smiled at that portion of the memories, but it faded as he continued, "But this night, we don't know if we're gonna make it out. Things were looking pretty bad for him and all of us really and we all knew it. He made me promise if he didn't make it back and I did, that I'd check in on his brother and baby sister, make sure they were taken care of." 

Tears were pricking at Vic's eyelids by then and she could see the matching glint in Sullivan's eyes.

"Not long after, the calvary showed up and chased off the insurgents. The wounded got scraped up and whisked off for treatment and everyone else headed back to base to do it all again another day. His injuries... I didn't think he'd survive and later I was so wrapped up in my own issues. When no word came, I didn't even bother to try to look him up. Not knowing for sure was somehow better than finding out he died, you know."

Vic nodded, reaching over to cover his hand with hers in support and said, "But if he loved his family so much, why'd he stay away? Why not try to make amends? I mean, he is kind of an ass and Jen can be a bit of an ice queen bitch, but it's not like Lucas was an ogre. He was like Mr. Reasonable!"

"That I can't answer. That part is Mark's story to tell. Try not to judge him too harshly though. He's had a rough go of it and missed out on a lot. Hopefully he gets the second chance with Jennifer that he & Lucas never had."

"After I got out, I bounced around for a bit, then I made my way up to Seattle. Met up with Lucas. He had that same charm, that affable, fun-loving charisma. We became pretty inseparable, but I quickly found out everything wasn't quite as rosy as Marcus had painted it. Luke did NOT want to talk about Marcus so I stopped even trying to bring him up. I guess maybe I should've put some more effort into looking for him after... after what happened to Luke," he said, glancing over at the headstone.

Vic fidgeted with the label on her now warm beer bottle. "He's sooo obnoxious. He blames me for what happened both to Lucas and to Jennifer. He even..." she paused, feeling her phone vibrate in her pocket. Pulling it out, she gasped, "Jen's awake, I gotta go!"

She leapt to her feet, then turned back towards Sullivan, who was still seated.

"Thanks, Chief, for the conversation and for the beer... and for visiting Lucas," she said, running a hand over the smooth stone. "I know he would appreciate the company, but you really should go home to your wife. She's worried about you."

Sullivan smiled up at her. "Thanks, Hughes. Andy's lucky to have you for a friend. I'm headed home in a few minutes, just need to finish Luke's beer for him and let you get a head start so you won't see me make a fool of myself trying to get up off this ground," he said, getting a chuckle from Vic. 

"Say hi to Jennifer for me. Tell her I'll be around to see her when she's up for more visitors. And tell Marcus, well nevermind him, I'll tell him myself."

Vic nodded and replied, "I will do that, thanks again." Giving Lucas' name a pat goodbye, she hurried off.


End file.
